The Intern's Reality Check: 3 Things I Wish I'd Known (From Someone Who's Been on Both Sides)

My IBM internship gifts include a hat, a backpack, and a water bottle.

Picture this: You're sitting in your dorm room at 2 AM, refreshing your email for the hundredth time, waiting to hear back from that dream internship. Your palms are sweaty, your heart is racing, and it genuinely feels like your entire future hinges on this one opportunity.

I've been there (not in a dorm, at home, but still). We've all been there.

But here's what I wish someone had told me before I started my journey as a co-op at IBM in 2021, and definitely before I found myself on the other side of the table in 2023, overseeing four interns at Boeing. Having experienced both perspectives – the nervous intern and the mentor trying to make the experience valuable – I've learned some hard truths that every intern needs to hear.

1. Your Internship Doesn't Define Your Worth (Or Your Future)

Let me be brutally honest: I landed what I'd call a solid, mid-tier internship at IBM. Not Google. Not Meta. Not the company that would make my LinkedIn connections go "wow." And you know what? For a hot minute, I let that get to me.

I remember scrolling through LinkedIn, seeing classmates posting about their internships at "prestigious" companies, and feeling like I'd somehow failed before my career even started. The voice in my head kept whispering: "This internship will determine everything – where you work next, how much you're worth as an engineer, maybe even your worth as a person."

That voice was lying.

After my time at IBM, something interesting happened. I started getting callbacks from almost every FAANG company for full-time positions. Final interviews. Real conversations about real opportunities. Not because I had some magical internship experience, but because I made the most of the opportunity I had.

The truth is, what you do during your internship matters infinitely more than the company name on your badge. I threw myself into my work at IBM, asked questions that sometimes felt stupid, took on projects that scared me a little, and built relationships with people who saw my potential. When I moved to Boeing, I did the same thing. Neither company was considered "elite" in tech circles, but both experiences taught me invaluable lessons and opened doors I never expected.

Years later, I landed what I consider my dream opportunity – not despite my "mid-tier" internships, but because of how I approached them.

Your internship is one chapter in your story, not the entire book. Don't let anyone convince you otherwise.

2. You're Not Expected to Be Immediately Useful (And That's the Point)

Here's something most companies won't tell you upfront: they don't expect interns to be productivity machines from day one. In fact, they expect the opposite.

When I was managing interns at Boeing, I built time into my schedule specifically for the questions, the explanations, and yes, the inevitable moments when I had to redo work that didn't quite hit the mark. This wasn't because our interns were failing – it was because they were learning.

Every company that runs a legitimate internship program knows this math: interns initially require more time and energy from full-time employees than they contribute. It's not a secret, and it's not something you should feel guilty about. It's literally the point.

Think about it from the company's perspective. They're not hiring interns to solve their most critical problems in 12 weeks. They're investing in potential future employees. They're looking for people who show curiosity, ask thoughtful questions, work hard, and demonstrate they can grow into the kind of engineer the company wants to hire full-time.

This mindset shift changed everything for me. Instead of panicking every time I needed help or made a mistake, I started focusing on being the kind of person I would want to hire. I asked questions that showed I was thinking deeply about the work. I took feedback seriously and implemented it quickly. I looked for ways to make my mentor's life easier, even in small ways.

The question isn't "Am I being useful enough?" It's "Am I showing them who I could become?"

3. Unpaid Internships in Tech Are Unethical (Full Stop)

I need to say this louder for the people in the back: If a tech company asks you to work for free, run.

I cannot stress this enough. Especially in our industry, no one should be providing free labor to a company in exchange for "experience" or "exposure." These are profitable companies, not struggling nonprofits. They have budgets. They can afford to pay their interns.

When I see students considering unpaid internships because they're desperate for experience, my heart breaks a little. I understand the pressure – you want experience, you want your foot in the door, you want something on your resume. But accepting unpaid work doesn't just hurt you; it hurts every other student who comes after you.

Here's the thing: there are other ways to gain valuable experience without letting companies exploit your labor:

• Open source contributions: Real projects, real impact, real portfolio pieces

• Personal projects: Build something you care about, learn new technologies

• Hackathons: Intense learning experiences with immediate feedback

• Research opportunities: Many universities have paid research positions

• Freelance work: Small projects that actually compensate you for your time

Companies that don't pay their interns are telling you exactly how much they value your time and contribution. Believe them, and find somewhere that values you appropriately.

The Real Talk

I know how it feels when you're in the thick of internship season. Every rejection feels personal. Every "we've decided to move forward with other candidates" email feels like proof that you're not cut out for this industry. The pressure is real, and the stakes feel impossibly high.

But here's what I've learned from being on both sides of this experience: your worth isn't determined by where you intern, and your future isn't sealed by one summer experience. What matters is how you show up, how you learn, and how you treat the opportunities you're given.

The perfect internship doesn't exist. But the internship that teaches you something valuable, challenges you to grow, and respects your contribution – that one is out there. And you deserve nothing less.

Your career is a marathon, not a sprint. That internship you're stressing about? It's just one mile marker along the way. Make it count, learn everything you can, and remember – you're exactly where you need to be.

What's one thing you wish you'd known before starting your first internship? I'd love to hear your perspective – connect with me on LinkedIn or follow @code_with_kate for more real talk about navigating tech careers.